Notting Hill carnival begins with ceremony to remember Grenfell
Survivors and residents are joined by Sadiq Khan at multi-faith prayer, with doves released as mark of respect for victims
London: The victims of the Grenfell disaster have been remembered as Notting Hill carnival gets under way in the shadow of the tower.
White doves were released into the sky as a mark of respect and a multi-faith prayer was held at the beginning of the UK’s biggest street festival.
The ceremony, held by survivors of the fire and local residents, was described as a “small act of remembrance” at an event held within a few hundred metres of the scene of the tragedy.
They were joined by the new leader of the local council, which has been heavily criticised for its handling of the disaster, and Labour’s Emma Dent Coad — in whose parliamentary constituency it took place. She addressed the audience, calling them the “Grenfell generation”. She said: “Today is a day to set aside our burden of sadness, and enjoy some real joy with our families, our friends and our amazing community, which the world now knows about — though it’s always been here, we know that.
“Today, carnival is for you. Set aside your sadness and worries, smile, dance and sing along. And we will have the most wonderful, musical, colourful and lovable carnival ever.
“Remember you are the Grenfell generation, and you are special.”
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, met some of the survivors in a specially reserved area, shaking their hands and hearing about their housing situations 10 weeks after the fire.
“Over this carnival weekend, we pledge to redouble our efforts to support this community,” he told the crowd.
“We make sure we have in our thoughts and our prayers all of those affected by the awful Grenfell Tower tragedy. Part of that pledge is making sure we get justice, we find out exactly what happened, we make sure those responsible are held to account, and also so this never, ever, ever happens again.”
Elizabeth Campbell, who took over as leader of the council after Nick Paget-Brown resigned, was among those to release a dove into the air.
The bishop of Kensington, the Right Rev Dr Graham Tomlin, helped lead the prayers at the official opening ceremony of the two-day event. He offered three prayers of hope, harmony and healing. “My prayer is that, in these two days, God will give us his rest, his hope, his harmony, and his ear.”
The crowd fell silent during a performance of Bridge Over Troubled Water by Brenda Emmanuel.
Another musical tribute, by Alexander D Great, included the lines: “Pray for mothers, pray for babies, pray for all whose cries are in our ears.”
Handmade green hearts and streamers adorned the judging area, while spectators were decked out in green following a campaign encouraging people to go “green for Grenfell”, which organisers said they hoped would symbolise “reverence and respect amidst the revelry”.
